1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of advertising and/or marketing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for simultaneously creating multi-format marketing materials via on online portal in a network environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Given an audible prompt comprising a readily identifiable word, an experienced (and vocal) typesetter is able to instantaneously dissect the word into its component letters and recite the component letters aloud alphabetically. The recitation is reflexive, requiring little, if any, cognitive effort. The skill is developed over time with day to day typesetting experience and is simply reflective of the typesetter's conditioned response to perpetual workload as driven by consumer demand. The process of typesetting involves the presentation of textual material in an aesthetic form on paper or some other media. Before the development of innovations such as the dot matrix, inkjet, and laser jet printers, printed material was produced in print shops. In spite of centuries of innovation, the principle of printing remains the same: either a particular part of the page is marked or not marked with ink. This has remained true at the microscopic level even for halftone and four-color printing. Typesetting is the technology of deciding which parts of the paper should be marked, and printing is the technology of making the marks. However, the two are not rigidly separated: for example, ink flows during the printing process, and type design has to take into account the dynamics of ink on paper.
With the advent of computers, the inevitability of inventive computer-based typographical methodologies became apparent and thus the skill here anecdotally described may very well be shelved and replaced with computer means. In this last regard, it will be noted that software developers continually develop electronic means for achieving inventive end results. Service industries, such as the printing industry, for example, have seen rapid growth in the use of web-based interface means for enabling consumers to order printing services and/or printed products. In this regard, a number of inventive systems and methods have been developed as a means to embrace consumer demands and provide the marketplace with quicker, more efficient ways to meet printing or publishing needs. Two of the more pertinent U.S. patent disclosures describing web-based network methodologies for providing consumers of printed matter with quicker, more efficient ways to meet consumer demands are described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,349 (149 patent), which issued to Vogt et al., discloses a System and Method of Generating a Printing Plate File in Real Time using a Communication Network. The '349 patent teaches a printing and publishing system which generates a printing plate ready file from data provided remotely in real time using a communication network. The printing and publishing system includes a central service facility and an end-user facility and/or a printing company facility. The end user facility provides page building operations allowing the design and construction of pages from images, text, and data available via the communication network. The central service facility provides storage, file processing, remote access, and content management operations. File processing operations include generating a plate-ready file from pages designed at the end user facility. The plate-ready file has a file format capable of high resolution and is ready for creation of a printing plate. The printing company facility provides printing operations for producing a printing plate from the plate-ready file.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,155 ('155 patent), which issued to Rosenlund et al., discloses a System and Method of Providing Publishing and Printing Services via a Communications Network. The '155 patent teaches a printing and publishing system providing prepress, content management, infrastructure, and workflow services to system subscribers in real time using a communication network. The printing and publishing system includes a central service facility and an end-user facility and/or a printing company facility. The end user facility provides page building operations allowing the design and construction of pages from images, text, and data available via the communication network. The printing company facility provides imposition operations allowing the setting of pages on a particular plate as well as positioning and orientation of pages on the plate.
The central service facility provides storage, file processing, remote access, and content management operations. Content management operations include the capture, organization, archival, retrieval, and reuse of electronic files containing any one of text, graphics, photos, artwork, full pages, audio, video, and completed projects. Content management operations further include the organization and cataloging of file content for browsing, searching, and retrieving of files and data.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,268,896; 7,554,681; 7,716,735; and 7,814,560, which issued to Bellagamba et al., build upon the disclosures set forth in Vogt et al. and Rosenlund et al. by providing a certain system and method operable via an on-line publishing portal for controlling brand integrity in a network environment. The present invention has grown out of the state of the art disclosed by Bellagamba et al. and others with a view toward enabling marketing specialists to simultaneously format a wide variety of documents via a single operation. The state of the art relating to document creation, document editing, and document formatting tools that enable users to create, edit, and format documents for publication is somewhat well-developed. Some of the more pertinent art relating to document creation and the like are briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,218 ('218 patent), which issued to Knotz et al., discloses a Dynamic Publication of Information from a Database. The '218 patent describes certain systems and methods for electronic management configured so that content is stored apart from the information for formatting the content. A data structure for the content may be initially defined, and content items may be stored in the data structure.
Formatting information may be stored separately from the content in the form of a template. To publish formatted content, the stored content may be merged with the template. Specialized tags may be included in the template to permit added publishing functionality. In this manner, the system can easily manage large volumes of content and deliver the content to a variety of specialized target devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,366,974 ('974 patent), which issued to Kalajian et al., discloses a System and Method for Managing Template Attributes. The '974 patent redefines the concept of a template as a set of template attributes, such as font types and color schemes that are accessed by document-generating applications to provide uniform functionality across an organization.
The template attributes are stored and distributed throughout an organization in lieu of full document templates in order to reduce storage and transmission bandwidth requirements. The template attributes are distributed from a global server to regional servers and then to user workstations to facilitate propagation and enforcement of organization-wide document formatting protocols.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,715 ('715 patent), which issued to Evans, discloses a System and Method for Computer Created Advertisements. The '715 patent describes a computerized method for a user to create an advertisement by displaying a plurality of advertising formats for selection by a user; displaying a template corresponding to a selected advertising format; displaying a plurality of product references for selection by the user; displaying on the template a selected product reference to create a proposed advertisement; and creating a preview of the proposed advertisement, all of which may be implemented using the Internet.
The invention further relates to a computerized system for creating an advertisement that comprises a template database for storing advertising formats; a product database for storing product references; and a computer to access the databases. Preferably, the user has a network interface such as Internet access that permits access via a remote location, software to permit a user to specify specifications such as quantity; printing information, ship date, paper type, pricing information, and payment information, and may be configured to receive images and text for new products.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,979,793 ('793 patent), which issued to Miller et al., discloses a Graphical Creation of a Document Conversion Template. The '793 patent describes a template creation system enabling a graphical selection of one or more fields from within a database system. The template creation system identifies a source format of the received fields that can be exported from the database system. The template creation system identifies a target format readable by a document editing system.
For example, the document editing system may be a word processing application that stores files in an application-specific format. The template creation system creates one or more template rules based on the identified source and target formats for converting the data from the source format to the target format. The template rules may then be stored in an XSLT style sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,192 ('192 patent), which issued to Papineau et al., discloses a Method and Apparatus for Automatically Generating Custom Format Messages based on Message Destination. The '192 patent describes a method and apparatus for generating custom format messages whereby upon user selection of a message-destination, application logic identifies a set of template customization data corresponding to the message-destination and uses the template customization data to customize a generalized message template, so as to produce a custom format message. Advantageously, a single messaging application can thereby be made to produce custom format messages respectively for many different message-destinations.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,090,719 ('719 patent), which issued to Wade et al., discloses an Adaptive Page Layout Utilizing Block Level Elements. The '719 patent describes computerized methods and systems for formatting a page layout according to form factors of a display area. Initially, search results are received and dynamically converted into respective block-level elements, where each of the block-level elements is associated with a portion of content from one of the received search results. Form factors are retrieved from a graphical user interface.
Typically the form factors are associated with properties of a display area initiated to present the search results. At least one adaptive template is selected according to the retrieved form factors. The portion of content of each of the block-level elements is formatted based on at least one adaptive template. Also, the adaptive template is utilized to establish content panes within the page layout, as directed by the form factors. These content panes are populated with one or more of the block-level elements.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0143822, which was authored by Brid et al. discloses a Method and Apparatus for Applying an Adaptive Layout Process to a Layout Template. The publication describes a system that retrieves a first template associated with data identified in a data request. A second template is generated using the first template and a device description, which is associated with a device generating the data request. The first template is device independent and the second template is associated with the specific device generating the data request as well as the first template.
The second template defines a data presentation format for displaying the requested data on the type of device that generated the data request. The second template is stored in a cache, which allows the second template to be used with multiple sets of data without regenerating the template. The requested data is retrieved from a data source and formatted based on the second template. The formatted data is then transmitted to the device generating the data request.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0172354, which was authored by Martinez Ponce, discloses an Administration of Customized Document Production System and Method. This publication describes a method of administrating production of a customized document including the designing and enabling use of at least one intelligent template for the customized document, retrieving and customizing the at least one intelligent template for the customized document to create an intelligent document, including merging variable data with the at least one intelligent template and modifying a format of the at least one intelligent template to accommodate the variable data and create the intelligent document, producing the customized document based on the intelligent document, and monitoring at least one of designing and enabling use of the at least one intelligent template, retrieving and customizing the at least one intelligent template, and producing the customized document.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0170948, which was authored by Kobashi, discloses a Document Processing Apparatus, Document Processing Method and Program. This publication describes a document processing apparatus capable of, when acquiring a document based on a template file created by a variable printing system after converting the document into its own format, constructing a document in a format in which a concept of a record is introduced and preferably enabling operations for the unit of the concept of the source record, a document processing method and a program. In a computer which issues to a printer a print job for printing document data in which specified variable data is put into specified areas, template data into which the variable data can be merged is imported based on records; a segment is tentatively set for the template data, for each imported record; and the template data in which predetermined variable data is merged at predetermined areas is acquired on the basis of a record for which a segment is tentatively created.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0259371, which was authored by Perrier et al., discloses Systems and Methods for Managing and Displaying Dynamic and Static Content. This publication describes systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums for dynamically generating a document including storing a plurality of static content, information related to a user of the document, and a plurality of dynamic content associated with each of a plurality of categories associated with user information, storing a template including predetermined areas for static content and dynamic content, selecting at least one of the stored dynamic content based on the user of the document, and dynamically generating the document including the plurality of static content and the selected at least one dynamic content, wherein the dynamically generated document is displayed on a display.
Unites States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0033059, which was authored by Adkins, discloses Multi-Format, All Media, Creation Method, Event Marketing Software. This publication describes a media production method in which multiple events are created and managed. Events are created using the selection of templates and data bases. Each template can be transformed into multiple media formats. A user can populate a data base, where this data base will serve each media format requested by user. The embedded fields and the media content are not immediately joined until user initiates a preview of same. This method of fulfilling multiple media formats allows flexibility for the user to easily sample different formats with different template options without having to discard work because the data base represents the content.
The pre-made template represents a depository for user's media and content and can be formatted into different media formats and styles. An advantage this method allows for a user to create a DVD, web site and an invitation without having to learn media authoring skills. Additionally, this method allows user to create uniform promotional items using a single program. This method also allows for more intimate commercial partnering between consumers and the business they choose to gift register with. This partnering method provides logo placement for the commercial entity and uniquely special treatment for event customers in the way of special items and time sensitive discounts based on specific items requested by customer. An administrative area is provided to store and manage all data bases and media content.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0010076, which was authored by McMahon et al., discloses a System and Method for Creating Dynamic Electronic Publications. This publication describes a method for creating a dynamic electronic publication including the steps of importing one or more data assets into a publication design environment and identifying one or more features associated with one or more of the data assets. Each data asset and any features associated with each data asset are converted to a browser-readable file format and arranged based on a user-defined layout. A browser-compatible file map of the data assets is created based to the user-defined layout. An electronic publication associated with the file map is generated. The electronic publication includes browser-readable code that, when executed by a web-browser, displays the one or more data assets and any features associated with each data asset in accordance with the user-defined layout.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0016605, which was authored by Chao et al., discloses a System and Method for Crating an Editable Template from a Document Image. This publication describes a system whereby the spatial characteristics and the color characteristics of at least one region of a document are identified. A set of characteristics of a graphic, representation within the region are then determined without the necessity of recognizing a character comprising the graphic representation. An editable template is then created comprising a second region having the same spatial characteristics and the same color characteristics of the at least one region of the document and comprising a second graphic representation which is defined by the set of characteristics of the first graphic representation.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0327351, which was authored by Malone et al., discloses an Electronic Product Design. This publication describes automated electronic document design systems and method for designing and modifying product templates. When a user initiates a product design session, a product template is presented for user editing and a product description identifier is assigned to the product being designed. Document templates are assembled from individual composite elements.
The individual identifiers of the component elements that make up the template being viewed by the user are associated with the description identifier. Tools are provided to allow a user to change one or more of the composite elements of the template. When a user changes an element, the identifier of the newly selected element is associated with the description identifier. Component elements of one template can be individually used, as appropriate, to prepare customized templates for another part of the same document or for different documents.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0313119, which was authored by Baldwin et al., discloses an In-Line Dynamic Text with Variable Formatting. This publication describes Techniques for configuring a dynamic document template and for generating formatted documents. A data source is associated with a dynamic document template. Static text is inserted into the template. One or more placeholders are inserted in the template. Expressions may be associated with static text and placeholders in the template. Each expression may reference one or more data elements of the data source.
One or more formatted documents may be generated based on the dynamic document template. In the case of placeholders, a data element referenced by an expression associated with a placeholder may be displayed in a formatted document in place of the placeholder in a display format (e.g., a color, a font type, etc.) selected according to the expression. Likewise, a display format of static text may be selected based on an expression associated with the static text.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0029906, which was authored by Hirai, discloses a Report Format Setting Method and Apparatus, and Defect Review System. This publication describes a template edition screen on which to display components of a report as modules by OSD by use of icons. One of the icons is selected by use of a pointing device including a mouse. By a drag-and-drop operation, the icon is placed at a desired position in an output format setup area formed in the same screen. The icon is set in a desired size by another drag-and-drop operation.
Details of a module shown by the icon thus placed can be set up in a detail setup area in the same screen. Information on a format thus set up is retained as a template through a retention function, and accordingly can be used easily by simply calling the information. Moreover, the retained template can be edited as well. This makes it possible not only to create a new template, but also to modify an existing template.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0078570, which was authored by Larsen et al., discloses certain Document Creation and Management Systems and Methods. This publication describes certain systems and methods for document creation and management to facilitate creation of documents. An example document creation and management system is configured with an input component, a processing component, and a document creation component. A document creation and management systems can allow input of data in a customizable manner via talking (or recording), touching, typing, and/or clicking.
A document creation and management system may use customizable templates, so that a user, for example a physician, may more efficiently enter and review data, such as data related to a patient encounter. A navigator may import information, such as formatting and structure information, from a template to guide a user as to the input to be provided to generate a document according to the template. Document entries may be automatically sent for processing, which may include editing, transcription, encryption, etc, in a parallel or serial fashion. For example, dictation information may be automatically transcribed and/or processed.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0125586, which was authored by Evans, discloses a System and Method for Computer Created Advertisements. This publication describes a computerized method for a user to create an advertisement by displaying a plurality of advertising formats for selection by a user; displaying a template corresponding to a selected advertising format; displaying a plurality of product references for selection by the user; displaying on the template a selected product reference to create a proposed advertisement; and creating a preview of the proposed advertisement, all of which may be implemented using the Internet.
The invention further relates to a computerized system for creating an advertisement that comprises a template database for storing advertising formats; a product database for storing product references; and a computer to access the databases. Preferably, the user has a network interface such as Internet access that permits access via a remote location, software to permit a user to specify specifications such as quantity, printing information, ship date, paper type, pricing information, and payment information, and may be configured to receive images and text for new products.
From a review of these prior art disclosures and from a general consideration of other pertinent prior art generally known to exist, it will be seen that the prior art does not disclose a web-based or network-based system for providing access to a digital, proxy template which may be coupled to branding for messaging customers in multiple output formats (e.g. product labels, flyers, postcards, and posters) wherein the branded portions are controlled by a singular, ubiquitous source of control and wherein the offering portions are controlled by a plurality of localized control sources on an as-needed basis. The present invention contemplates such a system and certain methodologies associated therewith, as discussed in more detail hereinafter.